In the modern day fitness world it is very easy to become confused and unsure as to what method of dieting you should stick with. `Many are often scared of missing out on the next top ‘dieting secret’ and jump from one dieting method to the next, often without seeing any long term benefits, even if they are working hard. What macro nutrient balance should you stick with? How much fat should you really be consuming? Well, John Kavanagh is here to blow all confusion away with his one very simple rule: If it had a face or if it grew then it’s pretty much okay, writes Jamie Griffiths.
If you’re aiming to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle, there’s no real need to count calories with Kavanagh’s approach. Rather, focus your diet around good quality meats, filling your plates with veg and tucking into fruit when possible. Also do your best to ensure you aren’t consuming anything overly processed. This is more of a lifestyle choice than a typical ‘diet’ as there is no need to have an end goal in terms of weight loss, just an aim of achieving a healthy lifestyle. However, if you do wish to lose weight there’s also an easy method to that. You’ve got to burn more calories and eat less. It really is that simple.
To calculate how many calories you need to burn in order to lose weight you need to first find your caloric maintenance level. This can be found online for free by using your height, weight and activity level. Next in order to lose weight at a healthy rate you should operate at approximately 200kcals under this maintenance level.
It is also important to clarify what we mean by the word ‘diet’. To many, a diet is a restriction of some variety on your eating habits which is applied for a short period of time. For example, for someone going on holiday in 6 weeks’ time, they may restrict the amount of carbs they consume. However, for Kavanagh this is the complete wrong way to go about achieving desirable results. He has commented that everyone wants to get ripped in six weeks, or find a magic one week wonder diet. In order to gain truly achievable results we need to be taking a much longer term approach.
There’s also evidence that Kavanagh’s fighters put his simple rule into practice. When giving a tour of his Las Vegas mansion prior to his UFC 189 fight, Conor McGregor gave fans a quick peak into his fridge and with it, he gave a glimpse to the eating habits of a world champion. As he explained, the fridge contained “good quality meats, good green veg, eggs and some salmon”. McGregor continued to explain that he doesn’t allow any processed sugars, treats, desserts or cake into his sight as he will feel tempted to eat them all. If it’s good enough for a two weight world champion and a pioneer of mixed martial arts, then surely it’s good enough for you too.
Words by Jamie Griffiths
Jamie Griffiths is a freelance writer. His work focuses on health, fitness and lifestyle. If you want to boost, expand or even create your fitness website or blog find him on Linkedin.
